‘I know. Hollie didn’t know about this, according to Niamh, until what would have been his last birthday. They were “remembering him”, as she worded it, when Niamh told Hollie what her father had said. Dylan’s birthday was the 10th of May. It fits with Hollie going to the surgery later that same month and causing trouble for Buckley – and it’s more than enough to give her a motive.’ I pause. ‘Incredible, isn’t it, that someone would speak like that to their own son.’

‘Sadly, it’s all too believable.’ The DI’s voice is quiet. ‘We see too many people like Andrew Buckley who are capable of anything.’

‘We should talk to James Hampton again, sir. Hollie may have told him something.’

‘He hasn’t been exactly forthcoming so far.’ The DI scratches his head. ‘Go and see him. Then when you come back, we’ll talk to Buckley together.’

*

As I drive to the custody centre where James Hampton is being held, the sun breaks through the clouds. By the time I arrive, it’s hot outside. In the distance, the sea is a pale shimmer, just about visible before it merges with the sky. Then I glance at the building, thinking of James Hampton waiting in one of its soulless rooms for the next stage of his life to be decided for him – a life inside. One he’s brought upon himself thanks to his own weaknesses and his association with Mason.

When I reach the room we’ve been assigned, he’s already waiting. When he sees me, there’s a flicker of hope, as if somewhere he entertains the fantasy that this is all a mistake, that I’ve come to get him out of here. Pulling out a chair, I sit opposite him. ‘We’ve been talking to Andrew Buckley.’ A shadow crosses Hampton’s face. ‘You must be aware of the incident when Hollie accused him of inappropriately touching her?’

When he nods, I go on. ‘He’s adamant he didn’t. I’m not sure we’ll ever know whether he did or not. But …’ I pause for a moment. ‘He said Hollie did it for revenge, because she found out about his affair with Stephanie. It seemed a perfectly reasonable explanation for her behaviour – until we found out the affair hadn’t started at that point. It appears the real reason she wanted to cause him trouble was she’d found out what he said to Dylan just before he died.’ I frown. ‘What did Hollie say to you about Dylan?’

‘Not much.’ He looks wretched.

‘They were really in love, weren’t they?’

He looks surprised. ‘I suppose they were.’

I try to push him. ‘So what went wrong between them? I know Hollie broke it off with him, and he was heartbroken …’